Many existing vacuum assisted biopsy systems operate while connected to an external control panel and power source. Many spring-loaded core-biopsy devices require the user to perform a large number of actions. First, the user must manually prepare the biopsy device by squeezing, pulling, or rotating a lever. Tissue acquisition is then initiated by pressing one or more buttons. To retrieve the tissue, the user must repeat some or all of the manual preparation steps. Similarly, acquiring additional cores requires additional manual steps. What is needed is a compact tissue sampling device that is self-contained and operable with a minimum number of manual actions of a user.